Lions Head on the Road to Michigan

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach Patrick
Chambers knows the Nittany Lions are on the brink of scoring their first Big
Ten win.Having held a second-half lead of four points or more in three of the four Big
Ten games to open the season, Penn State has been knocking on the door for its
first conference win for two weeks. The
Nittany Lions travel to Ann Arbor for a Tuesday matchup against Michigan (8
p.m. on BTN) to begin a week with two-straight road games.

"We are a good second half away from being a really good team," Chambers
said. "We're close. I hate saying that term and I am tired of
hearing it. But we really are. We are a stop, a rebound, two made free
throws, two non-silly fouls away."

The Nittany Lions head to Mackey Arena for a showdown against Purdue on
Saturday. First up, take a look through
some things to watch for in the road game in Ann Arbor.

VIDEO: Coach Chambers PreviewHead coach Patrick Chambers met with the media to talk about the Nittany
Lions leading up to the Michigan game.

Closing StrongWith a stroke of luck and a couple more plays down the stretch, Penn State
could easily be heading to Michigan on a two-game winning streak. Chambers knows how close the Nittany Lions
are to breaking through. The Lions have
put themselves in very good positions to win every night in the Big Ten. Penn State led by seven at the break against
Michigan State, trailed by two at Illinois, led Minnesota by five and led
Indiana by five in the first four games.
Execution down the stretch on both ends of the floor is the only thing
keeping the Nittany Lions from a strong start to the conference season. Chambers knows the next step is coming for
the Lions.

"We're competing. We can play with these
guys," Chambers said. "Now, we've got to
believe it, and we've got to get it done.
And it's that transition. It's going to be one game, that one
possession, that one four-minute slot that you are going to be like, 'I think
they've gotten it.'"

Thorpe Providing Big Minutes For LionsFreshman Geno Thorpe has provided the Nittany Lions with strong minutes in
his initial starts as a collegiate player.
The 6-foot-3 guard brings great athleticism to the lineup and a gritty
approach on the defensive end of the floor.
Thorpe is averaging 6.5 points per game in his two starts, along with a
combined seven rebounds and four steals, but Chambers loves the fearless
attitude Thorpe possesses on defense. The
Pittsburgh native is averaging 26.5 minutes per game in his two starts.

Scouting MichiganThe Wolverines enter Tuesday with an 11-4 overall mark and a 3-0 record in
Big Ten play. Michigan edged Nebraska in
Lincoln on Thursday to remain unbeaten in conference play. Michigan State, Wisconsin and Michigan are
the lone remaining undefeated teams in the Big Ten. Three of Michigan's four losses have come at
the hands of No. 1 Arizona (72-70), No. 10 Iowa State (77-60) and No. 20 Duke
(79-69). Michigan beat Minnesota on the
road (63-60), Northwestern at home (74-51) and Nebraska (71-70) to open Big Ten
play.

Riding a five-game winning streak, Michigan is averaging 72.8 points per game,
shooting 51.4 percent from the field. In
three Big Ten games, Michigan has shot a conference best 53.5 percent from the
field. Sharpshooting Nik Stauskas leads
Michigan in scoring at 17.4 points per game.
Glenn Robinson III is second in scoring at 13.8 points per game. Chris LaVert is the third Wolverine averaging
double-figures at 11.9 tallies per contest.
Without Mitch McGary in the lineup, 6-foot-10 forward Jon Horford is
Michigan's leading rebounder at 4.9 per game.

The Nittany Lions and Wolverines split the last two meetings between the two
teams. Michigan is 11-7 all-time in Ann
Arbor.